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Stumptown (TV series)
| based_on = | creator = Jason Richman | creative_director = | starring = | music = Tyler Bates | country = United States | language = English | num_seasons = 1 | num_episodes = 8 | list_episodes = #Episodes | executive_producer = | producer = | editor = | location = | cinematography = | camera = Single-camera | runtime = 42–43 minutes | company = | distributor = Disney-ABC Domestic Television | network = ABC | picture_format = 1080i (HDTV) | audio_format = | first_aired = | last_aired = }} 'Stumptown' is an American crime drama television series that debuted on ABC as part of the 2019–20 television season, on September 25, 2019. The series is based on the comic book series of the same name, created by Greg Rucka, Matthew Southworth, and Justin Greenwood, and adapted for television by writer-producer Jason Richman. The title ''Stumptown is a nickname for the city of Portland, Oregon, where the series is set. In October 2019, ABC issued a full season order for the series. Premise Dex Parios is a sharp-witted military veteran, who struggles to get by and take care of her younger brother, in Portland, Oregon. She also struggles with PTSD from her time as a Marine in Afghanistan, where she worked in military intelligence until she was injured by an explosion which killed her childhood sweetheart and former lover. Burdened by heavy gambling debts and unable to hold down a steady job, she becomes a private investigator to solve problems where the police cannot get involved. Detective Miles Hoffman refers problems to her, and Grey McConnell, a bar owner and Dex's closest friend, provides moral support and employs her brother Ansel at his bar. Cast and characters Main * Cobie Smulders as Dex Parios, a Marine veteran who now works as a private investigator to support her brother and dig her way out of debt * Jake Johnson as Grey McConnell, an ex-con, owner of the Bad Alibi bar, and Dex's closest friend * Tantoo Cardinal as Sue Lynn Blackbird, the owner of a tribal casino and mother of Dex's deceased boyfriend * Cole Sibus as Ansel Parios, Dex's brother who has Down syndrome and works as a bar-back at the Bad Alibi * Adrian Martinez as Tookie, a food truck owner who serves as an informant for Dex * Camryn Manheim as Lieutenant Cosgrove, Detective Hoffman's supervisor * Michael Ealy as Detective Miles Hoffman, Dex's contact at the Portland Police Bureau Recurring * Gregory Zaragoza as Hollis Green, Sue Lynn Blackbird's right-hand man * Monica Barbaro as Liz Melero, a bartender at the Bad Alibi, she's also dating Grey Production Development On January 29, 2019, it was announced that ABC had given the production a pilot order. The pilot was written by Jason Richman who executive produces alongside with Ruben Fleischer, Dave Bernad, Greg Rucka, Matthew Southworth and Justin Greenwood. Production companies involved with the pilot include The District and ABC Studios. On May 8, 2019, it was announced that the production had been given a series order. A day after that, it was announced that the series would premiere in the fall of 2019 and air on Wednesdays at 10:00 P.M. The series premiered on September 25, 2019. On October 28, 2019, the series received a full season order. Casting In February 2019, it was announced that Cobie Smulders had been cast in the pilot's lead role. Alongside the series order announcement, it was reported that Michael Ealy, Mark Webber and Camryn Manheim had joined the cast in starring roles. On May 11, 2019, it was reported that Webber, who was originally cast to play the male lead opposite Smulders in the series, had exited and his role would be recast. On May 29, 2019, Jake Johnson was cast as Grey McConnell, replacing Webber. At the 2019 San Diego Comic Con preview of the pilot, Cobie Smulders confirmed that Dex's bisexuality would "definitely be addressed in the series". Smulder described Dex as "definitely attracted to women and men ... she tries to recover through her PTSD through sex. She's up for anything — it's one of the things that drew me to this character." Filming Although set in Portland, the series is filmed in Los Angeles. However, the pilot episode, filmed mostly in Vancouver, B.C., included a few scenes shot in Portland. Episodes |country= U.S. |viewers= |episodes= |Viewers = 4.61 |ShortSummary = Dex Parios is a former Marine officer whose PTSD makes it impossible to stay employed, leaving her financially insecure. After gambling away her latest disability check at the local casino, the owner, Sue Lynn, asks Dex to find her runaway granddaughter Nina in return for clearing her debt. Dex accepts the job, but her lack of experience quickly shows, as she finds Nina only to then lose her to two kidnappers and steals a car from a gangster whom she wrongly assumes had something to do with the kidnapping. She meets a police detective, Miles Hoffman, who encourages her to stay away from the case. Shortly thereafter, Sue Lynn fires Dex, claiming Nina has been returned home. Depressed, she goes to Miles' apartment and sleeps with him. The next day, while Dex is trying to track down Nina's boyfriend Michael, the kidnappers grab her and drive off; she subdues them and proceeds to rescue Sue Lynn and Nina from an unstable Michael. Impressed, Miles offers to keep Dex on retainer if he comes across any other problems the police cannot handle. |LineColor = 133E3B }} |Viewers = 3.99 |ShortSummary = Flashbacks show Dex and Grey meeting for the first time six years ago and befriending each other. Grey connects Dex with a new client, Allen, a widower who offers to pay Dex $1,000 if she finds Katrina, a girl he met at a bar. Dex locates Katrina and completes the job, but the check Allen gives her turns out to be worthless. While searching his home, someone knocks her out from behind. Miles subsequently informs Dex that "Katrina" is actually a professional con artist, who has robbed dozens of men like Allen for several years. Determined to get her money, Dex tracks Allen to a motel room, where she stops Katrina's psychotic partner Megan from asphyxiating him after discovering their relationship. Allen pays Dex her fee and leaves to start a new life with Katrina. One of Grey's former criminal partners, Jack, comes by to beg for money to pay a debt; Grey refuses to help and Jack is found murdered shortly thereafter under a bridge. Based on advice from Miles's superior, Cosgrove, Dex decides to apply for a license so she can legally work as a PI. |LineColor = 133E3B }} |Viewers = 3.43 |ShortSummary = Dex persuades veteran PI Artie Banks (Donal Logue) to take her on as his apprentice. Their first job involves a messy divorce between real estate tycoon Randall Tapper and his wife Candace. Banks offers a great deal of useful advice, and admits he sympathizes with Dex because she reminds him of his daughter. Miles starts investigating Grey while looking into Jack's murder. Prompted by Banks, Dex goes to Miles's apartment for dinner; the two try to work each other for information on their respective cases before giving in to their feelings and having sex. The investigation scores a major breakthrough when Tapper's current girlfriend gives Banks video evidence of him abusing her, but Dex later discovers that he sold it to Tapper, had no intention of helping Candace, and has been manipulating her from the start. Banks condescendingly tells Dex that she would be a great PI if she only learned not to care. Miles tells Grey he knows about his connection to Jack, and offers him protection if he agrees to help find his killer. An enraged Dex visits Candace and declares her intention to bring down both Tapper and Banks. |LineColor = 133E3B }} |Viewers = 2.83 |ShortSummary = Grey's old boss, Wallace Kane, escapes from custody while serving a life sentence. Dex's attempts to dig up dirt on Randall are continually thwarted by Banks, while Sue Lynn, who has partnered with Randall to build a school, pressures Dex by threatening to call in her debt to the casino. Banks eventually succumbs to his guilt after Dex calls him a scumbag and admits that Candace's daughter reminds him of his own deceased child; he leads her to Randall's former accountant who reveals that the school is a cover for illegal activity. Cosgrove notices that Miles is becoming obsessed with the Kane case, and assigns it to another detective. Dex and Banks search the construction site, and find evidence that Randall is smuggling counterfeit pills. With help from Sue Lynn, who abhors drug dealing on her reservation, Dex gets Randall to incriminate himself on camera, and forces him to remove the pills, finish the school, and return Candace's daughter to her. Banks signs off on Dex's hours, qualifying her to get a PI license. Kane abducts Grey and informs him that he will have to pull off one last job to pay his and Jack's debt. |LineColor = 133E3B }} |Viewers = 2.67 |ShortSummary = Dex is interviewed for her license. With Grey missing, she takes over management of the Bad Alibi and hires Tookie when the bar's chef unexpectedly quits. Miles defies orders to stay away from Grey's case, and is threatened with the loss of his badge if he doesn't walk away. Instead, he hires Dex to find him instead. While on the job, Grey discovers that Kane plans to kill his friend Denton and has assigned his enforcer Frank to take Ansel hostage in order to keep him in line. While at a restaurant with Frank, Ansel gets in contact with his sister; she rescues him and interrogates Frank to learn where Kane and Grey are. The police stage a raid, and Miles catches up to Kane, nearly killing him in anger before Cosgrove talks him down. Dex punches Grey for putting her brother in danger and tells him that he'd better come clean while he still can. Despite having found an engagement ring while searching his loft, she is unable to get him to admit that he might have feelings for her. Tookie decides to quit so he can return to his food truck. Dex receives news that she passed her interview and her license has been approved. |LineColor = 133E3B }} |Viewers = 2.82 |ShortSummary = Fiona X, a punk rocker who is also Dex's ex-girlfriend, hires her to track down a stalker while also making it clear that she is still attracted to Dex. Miles is unsure of his relationship with Dex and Kara tells him he should tell her how he feels. After a scare at a concert, Fiona reminisces about their past romance and they sleep together. Grey meets Liz, a guide for a local "paranormal tourism" outfit, and they hit it off to the disapproval of Ansel, who fears that Grey will abandon him now that he doesn't "love" his sister. After Ansel locks himself in Grey's office, Dex and Grey explain that, no matter what, they will never let anything drive apart their friendship. Tookie's truck is shut down for minor health permit violations, and he asks Cosgrove for help; they bond over their shared love of Mexican cuisine and begin a platonic friendship. The police locate the stalker; the man claims Fiona sent him dozens of letters which turn out to have been written by her controlling manager Nick, whom Miles arrests. Fiona asks Dex to join her, but Dex turns her down, stating she's not the person she was ten years ago. Miles takes Dex on a bowling date. |LineColor = 133E3B }} |Viewers = 2.62 |ShortSummary = Vanessa, the manager for a wealthy state senate candidate, hires Dex to dig up compromising material on his opponent, Councilman Dan Gibson. Dex poses as one of Gibson's volunteers and breaks into his office late at night, where she steals a letter and fends off a rival PI, Carol, also hired by Vanessa. Carol subsequently warns Hoffman that he needs to keep a closer eye on Dex. Grey agrees to let Liz train to be his new bartender, but their growing relationship annoys Dex; Liz tells Grey that he needs to prove he loves her and not Dex or they will eventually break up. Dex continues her investigation, ultimately discovering that Gibson, a gay man, fathered a son out of wedlock with a student while he was teaching college. Despite her efforts to hide this revelation, Vanessa learns about it and pays her for her services. Realizing that she can't live with profiting off the destruction of two families, Dex brokers a compromise: Gibson will drop out of the race if his son's privacy is respected. She also returns Vanessa's money and cuts all ties with her. Liz, Grey, and Miles join Dex and Ansel for "Friendsgiving". |LineColor = 133E3B }} |Viewers = 2.92 |ShortSummary = Sue Lynn hires Dex again, this time to identify whoever is behind a series of thefts and attacks aimed at her. The case requires Dex to visit the reservation, where she is driven off by Sue Lynn's bitter daughter-in-law Naomi. After Miles persuades her not to drop the case, she strikes a deal with Sue Lynn to get full access to the reservation and Sue Lynn assigns Naomi to shadow her investigation. Based on Dex's intuition that someone within the tribe with a grievance against Sue Lynn is responsible, the pair discover evidence that Hollis' nephew is plotting against her, and use that to force Hollis to turn over the names of reservation members expelled by Sue Lynn. Miles finds that one of the banished was a young man kicked out for selling drugs, and arrests him. However, before he can be processed, Sue Lynn exercises her authority as tribal chief to have him returned to the reservation for trial. Miles informs Dex that she crossed a line when she included Liz in the names to be investigated, regardless of how she felt about her. Dex was paid by Sue Lynn with casino chips and she invites Liz to join her for a celebration at the craps table. The next morning, she wakes up to find the two of them in bed together. |LineColor = 133E3B }} |DirectedBy = Lily Mariye |WrittenBy = Nicholas Wooton |OriginalAirDate = |Viewers = |ShortSummary = |LineColor = 133E3B }} |Viewers = |ShortSummary = |LineColor = 133E3B }} }} Release Marketing On May 14, 2019, ABC released the first official trailer for the series. Reception Critical response The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 94% approval rating with an average rating of 7.9/10, based on 36 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Simple, but strong, Stumptown moves at a brisk pace and packs a serious punch thanks in large part to Cobie Smulders' star making performance." On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 73 out of 100 based on reviews from 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Caroline Framke of Variety wrote: "With only one episode to go on, it’s hard to say how “Stumptown” will handle its upcoming cases of the week, or if it will shade Dex out beyond her cliched basics. But there are a couple standout elements of the show that point towards a more promising season than not." Allison Shoemaker of The A.V. Club reviewed the first episode and wrote: "It’s likely that this origin story will lead to Dex getting a new case/distraction of the week; hopefully, those stories will stand on their own as much as they illuminate her inner life. Even if it doesn’t, even if life for Stumptown becomes a lot less interesting after this first trip, Cobie Smulders, and Dex Parios, are well worth visiting again." Mike Hale of The New York Times wrote: "There's a potentially appealing mix of wisecracking humor and underplayed, credible action, though, that could blossom if it's given precedence over the melodramatic back story. Ratings | title2 = Missed Connections | date2 = October 2, 2019 | rs2 = 0.7/4 | viewers2 = 3.99 | dvr2 = 0.8 | dvrv2 = 3.91 | total2 = 1.5 | totalv2 = 7.90 | title3 = Rip City Dicks | date3 = October 9, 2019 | rs3 = 0.6/3 | viewers3 = 3.43 | dvr3 = 0.8 | dvrv3 = 3.50 | total3 = 1.4 | totalv3 = 6.93 | title4 = Family Ties | date4 = October 16, 2019 | rs4 = 0.6/3 | viewers4 = 2.83 | dvr4 = 0.7 | dvrv4 = 3.37 | total4 = 1.3 | totalv4 = 6.21 | title5 = Bad Alibis | date5 = October 30, 2019 | rs5 = 0.5/3 | viewers5 = 2.67 | dvr5 = 0.7 | dvrv5 = 3.27 | total5 = 1.2 | totalv5 = 5.94 | title6 = Dex, Drugs and Rock & Roll | date6 = November 6, 2019 | rs6 = 0.5/3 | viewers6 = 2.82 | dvr6 = 0.6 | dvrv6 = 3.17 | total6 = 1.1 | totalv6 = 6.00 | title7 = November Surprise | date7 = November 20, 2019 | rs7 = 0.5/3 | viewers7 = 2.62 | dvr7 = 0.6 | dvrv7 = 3.09 | total7 = 1.1 | totalv7 = 5.71 | title8 = The Other Woman | date8 = December 4, 2019 | rs8 = 0.5/3 | viewers8 = 2.92 | dvr8 = | dvrv8 = | total8 = | totalv8 = }} References External links * * Category:2010s American crime drama television series Category:2019 American television series debuts Category:American Broadcasting Company network shows Category:American action television series Category:Detective television series Category:Down syndrome in television Category:English-language television programs Category:Television programs based on comics Category:Television series by ABC Studios Category:Television shows set in Portland, Oregon Category:Television series scored by Tyler Bates